Tuesday, November 12 at 11 AM

Where can you get a three-star experience at one-star prices? Which hot new restaurant merits the scorching hype? The answer to all these questions and more can be found Tuesdays at 11 AM on Kliman Online.

Where can you get a three-star experience at one-star prices? Which hot new restaurant merits the scorching hype? The answer to all these questions and more can be found Tuesdays at 11 AM on Kliman Online.

From scoping out scruffy holes in the wall to weighing the merits of four-star wanna-bes, from scouring the ‘burbs and exurbs to hitting the city’s streets, Todd Kliman covers a lot of territory.

Winner of a James Beard Foundation Award in 2005 for the country’s best newspaper column about food, Kliman is food and wine editor and restaurant critic for The Washingtonian. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s, The Oxford American, Lucky Peach,The Daily Beast and Men’s Health, among others, and he has been selected four times for inclusion in the Best Food Writing anthologies. He was a finalist for the MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award, and recently took home first-place honors for feature writing from the Association of Food Journalists.

Kliman is the author of The Wild Vine, a literary exploration of two entwined mysteries: an obscure grape that rose to prominence, only to disappear, and its present-day evangelist, a foul-mouthed transgendered multi-millionaire vintner on an obsessive quest to restore the legend of an antebellum southern doctor.

Todd previously taught writing and literature at American University and Howard University. At Howard, he was also the editorial advisor to The Illtop Journal, Chris Rock’s humor magazine modeled after the Harvard Lampoon.

Can’t wait a week to talk to Todd? Follow him on Twitter for dining reports, tips, and breaking news from the culinary world. Or write to him: tkliman@washingtonian.com

………………………………………………………………………………………………

W H E R E I ‘ M E A T I N G N O W . . .

Kogiya, AnnandaleThe new king of Koreatown. This is the best Korean barbecue out there right now, served up by a slew of young, t-shirted staffers in a rollicking, industrial setting. Go for the marinated pork ribs.

Bangkok Golden, Falls ChurchI was tempted to say this a while back, but didn’t. I will now, after a recent knockout visit: I’d rather go here, for the Lao menu, than Little Serow. The range of tastes is vast, and every plate is alive with flavor — bright and pungent and smoky and funky. Not to mention crunch and heat. Not to mention a shorter wait and a lighter bill (my recent meal of four dishes and a beer, pre-tax: $43).

Rose’s Luxury, DCI love the crackle in the room when you walk in. I’m not talking about mere noise; lots of restaurants have noise. I’m not even talking about buzz, that sense that a new place is hot. This one has an energy that is unmistakable, a sense that you have entered a kind of rare and cherished zone where the enthusiasm of the kitchen and the staff is returned in kind by the diners, who all seem to walk out the door with smiles on their faces. It’s not hard to understand why. Rose’s Luxury has an old-school vibe, and a sort of making-it-up-as-we-go-along feel, from the homey, unassuming way the menu bids you to settle in and order to the dinner party-run-amok vibe to the yahrzeit-look-alike votives to the beer glasses that are sawed-off wine bottles. The chef, Aaron Silverman, logged stints in such high-profile kitchens as Momofuku in New York and Husk and McCrady’s in Charleston, and you don’t have to look hard to see elements of each of these places in the room and on the plate. Like his mentors David Chang and Sean Brock, he aims to bring off a marriage of extreme playfulness and extreme precision. The bulk of the menu consists of a dozen small plates in which Silverman sets out to cross the wires, compositionally speaking, and see what happens. A pate is a braiding of French, Italian (garlic bread are the toasts), Vietnamese (the rich, crushed-peanut topped spread brims with star anise), and I want to say Jewish (the brine for the jalapenos, onions and cukes that add crunch and tang tastes deli to me). It’s seamlessly done, and highly addictive. He crosses high and low in a soup that tastes at once like liquefied popcorn and a delicate lobster veloute (the sweetness calls out for some sort of counterbalancing ingredient, or more lobster). It’s not all derring-do. His gnocchi are more properly a kind of ravioli, stuffed with fennel and mint, sauced with not-too-much butter and topped with a generous scattering of crunchy toasted breadcrumbs. You’d be hard put to find five better pasta dishes in town right now. The final course is a page not out of Momofuku or Husk or McCrady’s, but out of Komi — share plates for two. In one, you lay luscious slices of perfectly smoked brisket on griddled Texas toast, add on tangy strands of pickled cabbage and smear the whole thing with a fluffy horseradish cream. The other is built around a beautifully brined pork chop — sweet and aromatic and rich as the best pork can be — with potlikker beans and a textbook red-eye gravy. The final act needs re-staging. The lack of a pastry chef doesn’t help, nor does the tendency to over-think and over-embellish. Quenelles of chocolate cream sprinkled with dried rose petals and intended for spreading on slices of charred bread feels twee, not interesting, and hardly satisfies. More of the sink-in simplicity of the share courses would go a long way. Still, this is one of the most exciting debuts of the year. I’d even go so far as to say it’s one of the most exciting debuts of the past three years.

Vermilion, AlexandriaNew chef, same supremely assured restaurant. William Morris has risen to the top spot with the departure of Tony Chittum, and is a chef to watch. One of the best dishes on his tightly scripted menu of 15 dishes is also the unlikeliest: a roasted garlic soup. The taste of garlic is subtle, and the soup, a chicken stock base, gets its richness from a touch of cream and a yolk at the bottom of the bowl that you’re meant to stir in after the broth is poured. One moment it tastes like a light veloute, another like a liquid roasted chicken, and another — after you scoop up the fine dice of potatoes — a chowder.

Khan Kabob, ChantillyThe best karahi I’ve had in ages, maybe ever, is a version here made with lamb brains. The brains, for the leery, resemble tiny curds, and the sauce of garlic, ginger, cilantro, tomato and chilis is so concentrated, and so smoky, that even after you’ve had your fill it’s difficult to stop dipping your torn naan into the hammered metal vessel. Tariq Khan, the owner, was for many years part of the Ravi Kabob empire; he’s created a worthy rival.

Yia Yia’s Kitchen, BeltsvilleIf you want to see what a gyro can be, order the pork. It’s sliced from a conical spit, and the meat is so dark you’d think it was charred. That’s the effect of slow cooking, of melting fat, herbs and spices coming together to form a kind of bark. The meat is luscious, like that of a great spare rib, and you can pick up notes of fresh oregano and cinnamon. It’s enfolded by a thick, griddled pita, into which the cooks stuff fistfuls of hot fries, along with tzaziki, chopped onions and tomato. The rest of the menu is rewarding, too — pork chops with long-cooked green beans, onions and tomatoes; a good pastitsio; and a strapping mound of lamb bolognese.

Ya Hala, ViennaThe tabbouleh is made-to-order, and superb — an explosion of tender, sweet parsley and fruity olive oil. The baba ghanous is exceptional, too — subtly smoky, perfectly textured. If only for these two dishes, I’d recommend making the trek to this tiny, friendly Lebanese diner. But there’s good stuff beyond, including an array of meat pies, minted yogurts, and small, delicate desserts. Alas, the meats, though flavorful, are not as tender as the rest of the cooking would seem to promise, but a dip in the excellent garlic sauce and a pile of perfect rice makes up for it.……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Re: BANGKOK GOLDEN’S LAO MENU:

Hi Todd,

Last week I wrote in too late asking exactly what I should order at Bangkok Golden. I planned to wait until I got a response at this week’s chat, but after that raving review and Little Serow losing the throne ?!?!, I could not wait! We took a chance, and were definitely wowed. We ordered the following: Crispy Rice Salad, Duck Larb, Watercress Salad w/ Shrimp, and Mee Kathi (noodle soup). The crispy rice salad was my FAVORITE..the textures/crunch/spice..so perfect wrapped inside the lettuce. The watercress salad was ridiculous too..flash fried watercress with shrimp tempura and a delicious tangy/sweet tamarind. I shouldn’t compare Lao to Indan food, but dare I say that this watercress salad blows Rasika’s spinach chaat away!

The duck larb was also very flavorful…maybe the one dish that I think Little Serow does better. The mee kathi, although good, tasted a little bland to us after the pungent flavors of the other dishes. I think had we had the mee kathi first, we would have loved it as well.

Ok, so any other menu recs there? We are definitely headed back!!

Todd Kliman

That’s so great to hear!

I also really like the koi, with fish — a raw, or (if you prefer) very lightly cooked fish dish, similar to ceviche. And the charcoal pork with a moo ping-style dipping sauce. And the fish cooked in banana leaf, with its unmistakable perfume of dill.

I mean, just to get you started … ; )

…

Good morning, everyone. I hope you had a good weekend, and I’m eager to hear what you’ve been eating, and cooking, and — putting out the call again — what recipes you’re mulling for Thanksgiving.

If there’s a great family recipe, I’d love to see it.

TURKEY TALK, CONT.:

I really want to try a spatchcocked turkey, but every time I bring it up, people say no because they want that classic roast turkey look and not some “weird” flattened bird.

I point out that you only really see the full bird for a little bit — while it’s resting, then you carve it up and set up as part of a buffet. It’s not like we ever bring it to the table in its full glory a la National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

This recipe intrigues me, and whenever I start hosting on my own (a few years from now at least), I’m going to try it:

The recipe looks interesting, and I’ll bet it produces a good bird, but yeah — people don’t like anything that doesn’t look like what they think everybody else in America is eating.

The thing about the turkey, though, is: how many people do you know who actually like the turkey? Most people load up on mashed potatoes, and that sweet potato assemblage thingie that looks like a sundae, and stuffing, and rolls, and rivers of gravy. And the great bronzed bird of memory? Maybe a slice or two.

Why? Because most of the time it’s dry. White meat, especially. Dry, and dull, and a waste of your calories and the cook’s time.

I’d be curious to know — who out there is a fan of white meat and who prefers dark meat?

Personally, I go for the neck, the back, the tail, and a wing. To me, those are the tastiest parts — I can do without anything else.

What about the rest of you?

POSTCARD FROM … PHILLY:

Ate at Vedge a couple of weekends ago with my daughter … simply magnificent food that just happens to be vegan … bought the cookbook.

Highly, highly recommend to anyone near the city of brotherly love.

Todd Kliman

Thanks for the quickie card.

I’ve been hearing really good things about Vedge. It’s on my list, and now with a star thanks to your thumbs-up.

Re: ARSENAL AT BLUEJACKET BREWERY — NEW, AT THE NAVY YARDS:

There has been a lot of talk lately on this chat about the reluctance of restaurants to be truly “casual,” and I have to say The Arsenal at Bluejacket is a big victim of this.

I can understand they want to have good, quality food but $14 for a tapas-sized bowl of pasta (yes, I know it’s homemade but still) and $20 entrees feels like overkill. I will say that the pig tails were tasty, and the pasta *was* above-average, but it just didn’t feel like a good value.

And who makes a key lime pie without a graham cracker crust??

The beer is the absolutely the star here, and I’d have been happy with a quality, simple burger/sandwich selection, a selection of flatbreads and perhaps less-fancy but larger portions of carbs. I wonder how restaurants come to decide on their menus, but I wonder if Bluejacket will have to adjust.

Don’t get me wrong, I still had a great meal and navigating the beer list was tasty and fun. I just wish they wouldn’t try to be more than is necessary to keep the bar and tables full. Sometimes less is more.

Todd Kliman

Yes. I agree with you.

But at the moment, in this era of false casual, there are far too many restaurants in this city where less describes the portion size (and sometimes the effort and imagination on the plate) and more describes the pricing.

I’m seeing more and more $12 desserts, and this from restaurants who don’t have pastry chefs. $9 for ice cream — ice cream — is becoming standard in this city.

Take a look at the current lunch menu at Casa Luca — a Caesar salad with grilled tenderloin goes for $26. I like the cooking at Casa Luca, but what justifies a price like that at lunch?

I’ve praised Rose’s Luxury, a new restaurant on Barracks Row, for the past few weeks. But look at the cacio e pepe on their current menu. This is a simple dish of pasta in a cheese-and-black pepper sauce. It’s a good dish. It’s also $12 for a small portion AND the pasta (per my server) is not homemade.

EXPENSE-ACCOUNT LUNCH IN DUPONT/FOGGY BOTTOM — WHERE SHOULD WE GO?:

Hi Todd,

A business contact has offered to take my team out to lunch. I’m the only person in the group who’s particularly interested in food, and now that I get to pick the place, I’d like to step it up from the usual generic Thai places we have these lunches at.

Any recommendations for a nicer lunch that will also have a group of 6 out in no more than hour and a half? (We went to BLT Steak once, but it was a bit too leisurely for the work day)

They can be efficient when they need to, and the menu ought to have something for everyone, including you, the food lover.

TURKEY TALK, CONT.:

I can vouch for the Serious Eats spatchcocked turkey linked above.

It’s great — low effort, terrific reward. Maybe my family was just secretly always a bunch of un-American types who never cared about displaying the whole bird, but we didn’t miss that at all.

And having good, juicy, flavorful white AND dark meat without anyone having to make themselves crazy working for it certainly helped clear up any lingering doubts.

Todd Kliman

Intriguing. I’m going to look into it more seriously now, thanks to your seconding.

It’s such a funny holiday. All about eating — that’s all it’s about, an entire holiday about eating — and yet so many anxieties. Over traditions, real or invented. Over family, and what will be said, and what will not be said (and what will be said that should not be said). Over
a misbegotten sense of the ideal, which no one can possibly live up to. Over what to cook, when most people are too busy scarfing and drinking all day long to notice the grace notes in a dish …

POSTCARD FROM … PARIS:

Hi Todd

Long time reader of your chat. I just wanted to share a bite from my most recent trip to Paris. I’ve travelled extensively in France my entire life and even lived in Paris for far too brief 6 months.

My secret spot is La Cigale Recamier, a neighborhood gem with the most incredible dessert I have ever tasted. No hyperbole there. It was a salted caramel soufflé that had the most robust flavors and perfect texture. It was a decadent treat, but one worth the flight over the Atlantic. It has been several weeks since I was there, but I am still daydreaming over this one.

Runner up for mashed potatoes is Eric Ripert’s version with goat cheese.

I am eager to hear what others are making. We are looking for some new dishes to try.

Thanks!

Todd Kliman

Good ones! Thanks.

And keep ‘em coming, everyone. I like the idea of a great big sharing of ideas and recipes, and maybe prompting some of us to try new things this year.

BANGKOK GOLDEN, CONT.:

I see on their website that Bangkok Golden, one of your “where I’m eating now” places, has a lunch buffet. Have you tried it?

Anything above and beyond the usual steam table stuff? I’m intrigued to try the spot but it’ll probably have to be at lunchtime, and even though I should probably know better I’m *always* tempted by buffets.

Thanks…!

Todd Kliman

No, I haven’t tried it. But I have seen it. And that is enough to tell me to tell you to skip it.

And you can skip the Thai menu, too. It’s fine. But you don’t go here for pretty good Thai. You go here for the Laotian dishes, which are excellent.

EATING IN THE KENTLANDS …:

I am venturing up to Gaithersburg/North Potomac (near the Kentlands, basically) to meet friends for dinner.

Any tips on a good restaurant for a fun night out that isn’t Bucca di Beppo?

Todd Kliman

I’m here to spare you that sad fate.

Go to Jaymar Colombian Breeze, and make sure to get an arepa. Or several arepas.

Add a soup (ajiaco, if they have it, a wonderful almost-stew of chicken and a variety of potatoes) and make the soup and the arepas the foundation of your meal. If there are two of you, and you’re hungry, you’d only need one main course beyond that. Portions are hefty.

TURKEY TALK, CONT.:

I love the turkey – I love everything about a Thanksgiving meal. I love the whole day – the parade, the football, the family time, the smells. I love the mashed potatoes, the gravy, the stuffing, the pie, the veggies. I love it all!

I used to go more for white meat, but find myself going toward the darker meat the past couple of years. But my favorite part? The SKIN!

My mom and I always stand in the kitchen after dinner and pick the skin from the bird. I like it crisp and crackly and I would very nearly forgo the meat to get more skin.

The first year I spent Thanksgiving with my husband’s family, they were hosting a huge meal, so roasted two turkeys the day before. I watched his dad pull the skin off and throw it away. When I asked why (internally crying), he said “No one likes the skin anyway!” I explained how much I did and from that point on all skin from birds lands on my plate at that house.

Todd Kliman

First of all, I loved the way you evoked the day. I love all those things, too, and I’m sure most everyone out there feels the same. It’s a hard holiday not to like.

And the skin — yes! I’m absolutely with you on that, as long as it’s a good skin. The best turkey skin I’ve ever eaten is the skin of the Red Bourbon heritage breed, a native breed that precedes the arrival of the white man.

Red Bourbons are expensive; last I checked more than $6 a pound. The last one I had, a couple of years ago, cost me $90.
So I don’t recommend them widely. But if you like turkey skin, this one is thick and crisps up beautifully.

It’s also a good bird if, like me, you’re not into breast meat; it has a small breast — what, long ago, used to be considered a normal turkey breast, before that part of the bird was plumped-up by corporate heads to meet the demands of people who don’t really like game meat.

ESCALATING MENU PRICES: FABIO TRABOCCHI RESPONDS …:

Todd,

The Caesar is served as large entree on the menu for people that are looking for a protein on the salad and to have that as a full lunch meal

We provide 8 ounces of prime beef tenderloin with that salad, a price I believe is less for that amount of what a steakhouse could charge you without any garnish

Please let me know if I can provide any further explanations

Respectfully

Fabio Trabocchi
Fiola, Casa Luca, Fiola Mare

Todd Kliman

Thanks for writing in, Fabio.

And for explaining your reasoning.

I do want to say, though, that I could have picked a number of other examples from the menu. I think the prices on the lunch menu are high.

A puntarelle salad at lunch is $16. A green leaf salad with pears, apples and hazelnuts is $14. A daily risotto at lunch is $24.

ESCALATING PRICES, CONT.:

Re: cacio e pepe

Hi Todd, while I agree and think that $12 for a small portion of cacio e pepe (not even with homemade pasta) is sinful, the only thing I will say is that it is a deceivingly simple dish to make.

It is simple, by listed ingredients (there are few), so the dish has to be exacting in order to be exalting. Very few places/people are able to do this correctly and achieve true Romanesque results. That’s the delicate dance with dishes so simple – and probably why so few places do simple. Because simple is very difficult.

Todd Kliman

Very well put.

Which is why I find it odd that the pasta wouldn’t be homemade. If you have a dish where there’s nowhere to hide, so to speak, and you’re charging $12 for a small portion, it would seem to me that that pasta ought to be homemade.

1 DAY AND 1 NIGHT IN FREDERICK …:

You’ve got one day and one night in Frederick, group of 4. Doing a Flying Dog Brewery tour on Saturday afternoon, but other than that things are wide open. Volt is probably out because it’s full.

Where are you going to eat, drink, etc?

Todd Kliman

I’m hitting up Ayse for Lebanese/Turkish/Greek small plates in an inviting and simple setting, and Black Hog BBQ for ribs.

At Ayse, don’t miss out on the homemade fig newtons at the end, and appreciate the good and welcoming service.

T-DAY RECIPES, CONT.:

I told you a couple of weeks ago that we do crabcakes for an appetizer at Thanksgiving owing to my Maryland Roots.

Here is the Recipe, it’s not mine (Gourmet Magazine 1990’s) but I like this one the best. Gourmet

In a large bowl whisk together the egg, the mayonnaise, the mustard, the pimiento, the parsley, the Old Bay Seasoning, the Worcestershire sauce, the Tabasco, the pepper, and the salt, add the crab meat and 1/4 cup of the Saltines, and toss the mixture gently. Spread the remaining 1/2 cup Saltines on a plate, form the crab mixture with a 1/3-cup measure gently into eight 3/4-inch-thick patties, and coat the top and bottoms of each patty carefully with the Saltines, transferring the crab cakes as they are formed to a sheet of wax paper. In a large skillet heat the oil and the butter over moderately high heat until the foam subsides and in the fat sauté the crab cakes, in batches if necessary, for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until they are golden, transferring them as they are cooked to a heated platter. Serve the crab cakes with the lemon wedges.

Todd Kliman

OK, now I’m starving … : )

I love the idea of crabcakes at Thanksgiving. Would love to have that sometime.

I am going to a “Friendsgiving” celebration on Saturday and I will be making this (plus another pie, which I have not decided on yet). Pumpkin is one of my favorite pies and flavors and adding the words maple, bourbon, and brulee just takes it over the top for me!

Todd Kliman

Yeah, that looks pretty great.

And Bon Appetit’s recipes are generally easy, because a lot of thought has gone into them, particularly in how to eliminate steps and ingredients that complicate things unnecessarily.

I might just try this one, myself, this year.

Thanks for writing in …

T-DAY RECIPES, CONT.:

I just made a quart of crème fraiche, it will likely show up in some mashed potatoes–could make the Thanksgiving cut.

Has the deep fried turkey jumped the shark? I remember having some outstanding birds when we lived in the Midwest from a neighbor’s fryer. Even the white meat was moist.

I’m hearing less and less about fried turkeys, but not from people who grew up in the South.

GOOD STEAKS:

My boyfriend’s birthday is at the end of the month. He would like to eat a really good steak. So, I want to make a reservation somewhere in DC that serves excellent steak (I want to splurge — it’s a big one!).

But I am hoping to find a place that has a few other solid entree options (fish, chicken?) as I am not a big steak eater.

What do you suggest?

Todd Kliman

Take him to either Bourbon Steak, in Georgetown, or Charlie Palmer Steak, on Capitol Hill.

The steaks at each are impressive to behold and worthy of a splurge, and at the same time you can also find a lot beyond that that will satisfy you as a non-steak eater.

ASHAMED TO BE A CHEFY WANNABE:

I got a glimpse last night of the “chef” lifestyle that always seems to crazy. I snuck into the Capital Food Fight after party at Bernaise.

I live right down the block and heard word of the party, so I just walked in. No name on a list needed! Lots of drinking and debauchery going on at that party. Do you ever get to join those festivities? Or is keeping a low profile too much of a deterrent?

Todd Kliman

Nah. I can find enough drinking and debauchery on my own. : )

THANKSGIVING DINNER OUT:

Thought we were going to host a good group for Thanksgiving, but the regulars have all dropped out. Where should we go for Thanksgiving dinner?

We have 2 kids – 2 & 5. We all like all kinds of food, but don’t want to pay a ton of $ and want a place where we will all have a good time.

Thanks, Todd!

Todd Kliman

I like the look of the Thanksgiving Day menu at Liberty Tavern, in Arlington, a place I’m generally pretty high on.

Take a look: http://thelibertytavern.com/food.html

Last year it was $29 per adult, $18 per kid.

That qualifies as a
very good deal amid a slew of restaurants charging around $60-$100.

The chef, Liam LaCivita, is good with breads (I love his Anadama), and has a gift for smart comfort food — two things that bode well for dinner there that day.

If you go, drop me a line and let me know how things turned out, ok?

TURKEY, PRICE ESCALATION, ETC. …:

1) White meat turkey. I’ve always found the dark meat to be too greasy. But I have an aversion to fat on meat. As a kid, my dad made fun of me for carefully trimming all the fat from the slices of roast beef I was putting on a sandwich, saying, “You can’t tell the difference anyway.” One quick blind test-taste later and he never mocked me for it again.

2) I can’t help but wonder if the Casa Luca prices will creep up as exorbitantly as did Fiola’s — a restaurant we have purposefully avoided after our first several wonderful meals, because the constant price increases did not seem justified. Not that we ever minded paying the prices at Maestro. But Maestro had a much different vibe, style, and menu.

Todd Kliman

Thanks for chiming in …

And I’m wondering the same thing you are with regard to Casa Luca.

I understand what it means to have a big-time talent in the kitchen, and Trabocchi is among the biggest not just in this city, but in this country. And I also know something about the cost of high-quality ingredients.

And still I look at some of the prices at Fiola, and now here, and shake my head.

…

Gotta run, lunch calls …

Thanks so much, all of you, for the great questions, and the great recipes, and the talk of turkey and the big day …